The 28-year-old has now won three of his last four, and his recent
performances have sparked debate over whether he’s finally living
up to the expectations he built early in his career.

Trainer Greg Jackson thinks the sky is the limit for Swanson.
During a recent interview with the Sherdog Radio
Network’s “Savage Dog Show,” Jackson said his fighter could
eventually be “really, really, really good.”

“I have 100-percent faith in that kid,” Jackson added. “… He’s not
all the way improved yet. He’s just starting to really improve.
There’s a lot more that that guy can do, and I’m excited to see
where he can go.”

In January, Swanson stopped George Roop
in an impressive showing at UFC on Fox 2. In that fight and against
Pearson as well he was aggressive on the feet and displayed a
variety of attacks.

“It’s hard work,” Jackson said. “He’s here all the time. He also
trains in Palm Springs as well with Joel [Diaz] and Antonio [Diaz]
and all the great guys out there at his boxing gym. Those guys are
amazing. They’re really helping out a bunch too. I can’t give those
guys enough credit. They’re really, really great boxing
instructors. They’re helping out and then here, [Mike] Winkeljohn,
myself, all the coaches -- [Swanson] is just here and he just keeps
trying and learning, and if he has a setback, he doesn’t let it get
to him. He gets right back on and does it again.”

Swanson has had numerous setbacks in his career. Most notably, he
broke his hands and had his jaw wired shut. Besides fighting
through his frequent injuries, he’s also made significant
improvements in the gym.

“It’s just about trying to get him to be aggressive, trying to get
him to flow and to kind of stay in there and the little things,
channeling his aggression in the right way, and then a lot of
technical stuff too of course,” Jackson said. “… It’s a process.
It’s not an easy process, it’s not a quick process. Sometimes it
is. Sometimes it’s a light switch, but a lot of times it’s a
process that takes a while, and he’s just starting to turn his
corner. He’s coming into his own.”

The way Swanson is improving, it’s not unrealistic to imagine him
getting another 145-pound title shot one day. He’s already fought
the UFC champion, Jose Aldo, and
although the fight didn’t go well for Swanson, Jackson likes the
idea of an eventual rematch.

“As he continues to evolve and as he continues to grow and add more
tools to his arsenal, certainly we’re in it to try to get to be the
world champion,” Jackson said. “I certainly hope we get another
shot at [Aldo] when he’s ready. We’ll see. If he keeps winning and
doing spectacularly, like his last two fights have been against
very good opponents, I’m sure he’ll earn that right. We’ll just
make sure we have all the tools and we’re ready when it’s that
time.”

It's become the Zapruder film of the combat sports crowd. And depending on which side of the Floyd Mayweather Jr./Conor McGregor debate you find yourself, chances are your impressions of their Saturdread news >>

Tim Hague died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on June 18. He was 34 years old. The cause of death was brain injury sustained during a boxing match in the city two days before. It was the fourth professread news >>

Tim Hague died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on June 18. He was 34 years old. The cause of death was brain injury sustained during a boxing match in the city two days before. It was the fourth professread news >>

Last June, Luke Rockhold defended the UFC middleweight championship against Michael Bisping. Bisping, a seasoned veteran who had never even earned a title shot, took the fight against Rockhold on latread news >>